FanDuel Pitching Primer: Wednesday 7/26/23

When building a daily fantasy baseball lineup on FanDuel, nailing your pitcher is crucial to succeeding in any contest. Strikeouts are king -- although, innings-eaters and win potential can't be ignored.

With a pitcher serving as the backbone of your lineup, we don't want to mess around. Let's take a look at some of the top pitcher options and values, as well as some honorable mentions for today's main DFS slate on FanDuel.

Statistics are via FanGraphs unless otherwise stated.

Top Options

Spencer Strider, Atlanta Braves ($11,200)

Anytime Spencer Strider is up in the rotation, he's a top option for DFS lineups no matter the opponent.

The strikeout machine that Strider has proven to be has made him not only one of baseball's best pitchers but one of its most dominant. If the mustachioed hurler didn't have a 3.78 ERA, he'd probably be walking away with the NL Cy Young based on all of his other numbers.

Strider has been simply sensational this season. His 2.55 SIERA is the best in baseball by a considerable margin (Kevin Gausman is second at 2.99), and his strikeout rate, which sits at a deadly 39.7%, is up from his 38.3% rate in his rookie year. The Atlanta Braves' righty is also repping a minuscule 2.88 FIP, which is tied for second amongst starters.

The only hesitation in rocking with Strider today is that a matchup with the Boston Red Sox isn't an ideal one, especially considering the Sox have been the best team in July (13-5 record) and were able to get the best of the Braves in the opening game of the series. The Red Sox rank sixth in the Majors with a .334 wOBA and don't strike out at a high rate (21.3%).

But at the end of the day, Strider is one of the best, and it's better to roll with him and his likely huge strikeout numbers than worry too much about the Red Sox chipping away throughout the game.

numberFire's model has him at the highest projection of the day with 38.6 FanDuel points.

Framber Valdez, Houston Astros ($10,300)

Framber Valdez is one of the MLB's best, and whenever he's on the mound, he's worth your consideration.

The Houston Astros starter has the fifth-best SIERA in MLB (3.33) while also continuing to push his strikeout numbers up to a career-high 26.9% rate. Valdez is fighting for the AL Cy Young but also trying to get the Astros back to the top spot in the AL West -- which he can do tonight.

Taking on the Texas Rangers and sitting one game back of the lead, this is what the second half of the season is all about. Valdez will be stepping into those ace shoes in a whole different fashion, taking on a Rangers team that has struggled to a 14-16 record over its last 30 games. Despite that stretch, Texas remains one of the best offenses in baseball, as their .345 wOBA is the second-best in the sport and their 140 home runs rank top 10.

The Rangers have the second-worst implied total of the day at 3.70, playing all the more to adding Valdez into your lineups and looking forward to his big numbers.

Speaking of those big numbers, numberFire has Valdez projected for the second-most points among pitchers today at 37.9 FanDuel points.

Value Plays

Lance Lynn, Chicago White Sox ($9,400)

What a tough year it's been for Lance Lynn.

The Chicago White Sox have not been all too good, sitting at a 41-61 record. Lynn hasn't had too great of a record, either, at 6-9 with a sky-high 6.18 ERA -- but he's been better than that. He's already allowed 28 home runs on the year, which is the highest he's ever had in a season, and he has an expected ERA (xERA) of 4.81.

Lynn does have a 3.88 SIERA and 27.3% strikeout rate, though, so things aren't as bad as it seems, which makes him a potential value against the Chicago Cubs.

The Cubs have been good on offense with a .322 wOBA (11th), but they also strike out the 9th-most (23.8% rate). Lynn still has a pretty high salary but is up to a $1,800 discount if you don't want to go with a guy like Strider.

numberFire projects Lynn for the third-best score with 33.9 points.

Patrick Sandoval, Los Angeles Angels ($8,100)

Patrick Sandoval is projected for 29.3 FanDuel points per numberFire, making him the top value of the day.

Sandoval has had some great seasons in his career, but 2023 hasn't been one of them. The lefty has struggled to the tune of a 4.72 SIERA this season.

However, his two starts in July signal a potential turnaround. Through a small sample size of 12 1/3 innings, hitters have a .199 wOBA against Sandoval, and he's striking them out at a 25.0% rate.

He's turned to the ground ball to find success, too, as in those two starts, he's induced a 72.4% ground-ball rate. If he's going to keep that up, the Detroit Tigers are the perfect opponent to do it against.

The Tigers strike out at a 23.8% rate and have a bottom-three wOBA at .293. Detroit's implied total of 4.04 is the fifth-worst on the slate, as well.

Sandoval is a worthy value to consider if you're even slightly balking at what the top guys on the day have to offer.

Honorable Mentions

Marcus Stroman ($9,600): Stroman has had himself a good -- but not great -- season, which is why it's an honorable mention for him today. The Chicago White Sox have been pretty bad at the plate (.297 wOBA) and are one of the more favorable matchups in baseball these days. With 29.1 projected FanDuel points, per numberFire, he still slots in as a good option if you're trying to save a little salary.

Brayan Bello($9,200): Bello has been everything the Red Sox could have asked for this year and then some, especially in his last two months of starts. That being said, it's hard to start anyone against the potent lineup of the Braves. There are just better options with higher and lower values on the day.

Andrew Heaney ($7,900): Heaney projects as a cheap option who may surprise against the middling Houston Astros, even if his first season with the Texas Rangers hasn't been all that great. He's got a 4.41 SIERA (the highest of his career) but does have two scoreless starts against the Astros from earlier in the season. Those weren't long though at just five innings apiece, though. Heaney is a fine choice, but don't expect too much even in his best starts.

Alex Wood ($6,800): If you're feeling crazy, this might just work. Wood has not had much success this season, as you can see with his career-high 5.07 SIERA, but he does have the favorable matchup of the Oakland Athletics and their bottom-of-the-league offense (.290 wOBA; 88 wRC+). Like I said, if you're feeling crazy, this can maybe work, but it's a tough choice with more trustworthy options everywhere else. He is the lowest-mentioned option of the day, as the A's have the worst implied total on the day (3.57).

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.